Louisville, Kentucky was the next stop on our road trip to Nashville, and in hindsight, my favourite place by far. Although we only spent a couple of hours in Kentucky, both on our way to and from Nashville, within minutes of arriving in Louisville I knew this city was for me. I guess it was love at first sight!

Louisville is an all-around awesome city: with hip breweries and distilleries, trendy neighbourhoods, and distinctive red brick buildings, the vibe in Louisville is young, creative, and alternative. During our afternoon in Louisville, we enjoyed delicious beer and BBQ at Against the Grain Brewery (which was much better than the one near us in Toronto) located at the Louisville Slugger Field, and explored NuLu, (also known as “New Louisville”), which is an emerging neighbourhood with art galleries, specialty stores, organic restaurants, and small-batch coffee shops. My favourite spot was Please & Thank You, a coffee house known for their famous chocolate chip cookies - I liked their coffee so much I even brought home a bag of their coffee beans.

For many, Kentucky stands out for a particularly “spirited” reason, so it would be silly to drive through Kentucky without making a stop on the legendary Kentucky Bourbon Trail, and on our way home from Nashville, we did just that. The Jim Beam American Stillhouse is located in Clermont, Kentucky, on a beautiful property comprised of winding roads, old farmhouses, and colourful landscaping. Despite arriving shortly before close, we could not have chosen a more perfect day to wander throughout the grounds for photo opportunities. Without a doubt, a return for the entirety of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail has made its way onto my bucket list.

With our road trip winding down as we made our way back to the Canadian border, we adventured to one final Kentucky pit stop at the Seafood Lady, a Louisville institution as featured on the Food Network gospel: Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. Authentic Southern po' boys, hush puppies, and Cajun fries were the ideal sign-off from my new favourite state, and my irrational love affair with all things Kentucky.

This summer, my girlfriends and I planned a road trip down south to Nashville, Tennessee. This was my first road trip ever, as well as my first time in a car for longer than a few hours - and I absolutely loved it. A road trip is pure freedom. Indianapolis, Indiana was the first stop on our American adventure. Being a huge fan of Parks & Recreation, you can imagine how excited I was to visit Indiana, state of the great fictional town of Pawnee and home to Leslie Knope!

Indianapolis is a beautiful city. From the Indiana World War Memorial to the Indiana State Capitol, the architecture in this city speaks to a different era; the buildings historic and elegant. Amanda's sister Laura lives here with her husband, so we were lucky to have a local tour guide to graciously host us and show us around Indianapolis. We spent our evening eating Mexican food at Nada, drinking kombucha mules at the Garden Table, and exploring the city's landmarks: the Kurt Vonnegut mural on Massachusettes Avenue; the Steve McQueen private room in Spoke & Steele, the restaurant at Le Meridien Indianapolis Hotel; and Ann Dancing, a famous artwork by Julian Opie. I wish we had more time in Indianapolis to fit in more exploring, but nevertheless, it was a great introduction to the Hoosier State.